Karate

I see some older posts about martial arts but i'm curious if anyone is having any success currently?

My difficult child is almost 5 and very oppositional & defiant, not great at waiting turns or following directions, prone to sudden, intense tantrums, and high energy. Aside from some very occasional & isolated incidents, she's not physically agressive.

She had her first karate lesson this week, and I was blown away. She's been in a number of extracurriculars (ballet, gymnastics, skating, swimming, sports intros) and aside from swimming which she does quite well in (some minor fusses over waiting turns, and some difficulty doing as she's told) we've been unable to finish most courses due to tantrums or pure defiance. At karate, though, she was flippin' PERFECT! Cheerfully doing exactly as she was asked, not getting frustrated or giving up when she couldn't do something right, waiting her turn patiently, sitting quietly and listening to the instructor, etc. I know it was only her first lesson, but it was the first time I have ever felt like a regular mom watching her regular kid just doing a regular thing. Never has she behaved so well for an entire class of anything. Not even close.

What's up with this? Is karate magic?? Am I foolish to get my hopes up that it will continue? Will it spill over into everyday life?

Karate was an awesome outlet for Miss KT. She took lessons for about 7 years, earning her first degree black belt, before stopping training becasue high school marching band was taking up all her time. She is thinking about starting up again.